Four big “D words” were frequently heard around the field at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday afternoon: “Domination, defense, disrespect and destiny.”
The No. 5 Broomfield Eagles earned the right to use every one of them after they destroyed top-seeded Dakota Ridge 45-7 in the Class 4A semifinals.
“Our most complete game of the year, no question,” said senior running back Colin Torres, who scored two touchdowns and rushed for 149 yards on 23 carries. “The big boys up front did it again for me. It’s what I say every week. They make the biggest holes for me, and I just read them, follow and go. I wouldn’t trade this line for any in the state.”
Two years after winning its fifth state title, Broomfield will play for its sixth at 2 p.m. next Saturday against No. 2 Montrose at Canvas Stadium on the Colorado State campus in Fort Collins. The Redhawks beat No. 3 Pueblo West 18-7 in Saturday’s other semifinal.
Broomfield (12-1), winners of eight straight, has outscored its opponents 521-119 this season.
In what turned out to be such a lopsided affair, there really was no turning point in Broomfield’s demolition of Ridge. But early on, there sure appeared to be.
On the game’s opening drive, Dakota Ridge smartly marched 66 yards to the Broomfield 1-inch line only to see Landon Kalsbeck stonewalled on a fourth-down run.
Pumped-up Broomfield then drove 99 yards in 11 plays, scoring on a 17-yard run by senior Elliot Less. The two key plays on the methodical march were pass connections between senior quarterback Darien Jackson and Mikhail Benner, one for 14 yards, the other for 26.
Asked what he was thinking about when his first snap of the semifinal came at his own 1-yard line, Jackson replied, “I was thinking, ‘Let’s set the record for the longest drive in 4A.’ That was my mentality. … The ball was on, like, the tip of the goal line. But our line just punched its (way) up the field.”
Added coach Robert O’Brien: “Wow, 99 yards on 11 plays. What a drive. We converted when we needed to. Just really, really big.”
Broomfield’s Mikhail Benner returns an interception for a touchdown against Dakota Ridge in the Class 4A football semifinals at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday, November 30, 2024. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps.com)
On the first play of Dakota Ridge’s next possession, junior quarterback Kellen Behrendsen looked downfield, bought time by scrambling to his right, and finally unloaded the ball. But Benner, who also plays defensive back, read the play perfectly, picked off the pass and returned it 35 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 Broomfield lead.
A rout was in the air.
“It was a broken play, and I had a receiver in coverage, but I saw an opportunity to make a big play, so I went for it,” said Benner, who’s headed to the Air Force Academy next fall. “Big players make big plays. I do what I have to do for my team and for myself. It was an exciting play to make in the semifinals. I haven’t had a lot of opportunities to make plays like that on defense this season.”
Jackson capped off an 11-play, 67-yard drive with a QB sneak to put Broomfield ahead 21-0 in the second quarter. Then Dakota Ridge attempted to get creative with a double reverse, but the Broomfield defense smothered the play and forced a fumble, and senior Maverick Scarpella scooped up the ball and returned it 22 yards. It was 28-0.
Then Benner, described by his coach as “a special player, a special person,” stripped the ball out of the hands of a Dakota Ridge receiver and Broomfield senior CT Worley recovered the fumble at Dakota Ridge’s 15-yard line. One play later, Torres scored.
A 38-yard field goal by junior Maxwell Marchi made it 38 at the half. Game over.
In total, Broomfield’s defense came up with six turnovers.
“Our defense was amazing,” O’Brien said. “You take the ball away six times in a semifinal playoff game and you’re going to win. I’m really proud of the way our defense played and that really sparked some belief in our offense. Once we started running the ball, we knew we had a chance.”
The Dakota Ridge defense was coming off a 14-0 shutout of Ponderosa in the quarterfinals but the Eagles manhandled Ridge at the line of scrimmage.
“That was one of the things we talked about in our team meeting on Monday,” O’Brien said. “The team that tackled, blocked, got off blocks and broke tackles would be the team that won this game.
“And that Dakota Ridge team is a phenomenal team and they do a great job on those four things. But we committed on Monday to do a better job than them. The guys in the trenches really shined today, and really dominated that ballgame.”
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The running clock started when Torres plunged into the end zone for a 1-yard TD with 4 minutes, 57 seconds left in the third quarter.
Dakota Ridge, which finished its season 11-2, avoided the shutout when Kalsbeck broke free for a 48-yard TD run midway through the fourth quarter.
Broomfield and Dakota Ridge have been two of the most successful 4A programs over the past five years, with both advancing to at least the state quarterfinals five times from 2019 to 2024.
Now Broomfield gets to play for another title.
“We talk about pressure as something that is earned,” O’Brien said. “Teams that don’t make the playoffs have no pressure. We have earned that pressure and earned the opportunity to play in big games. We want that target on our back. It is culture over everything that we do.”
Broomfield’s Elliot Less rushes against Dakota Ridge in the Class 4A football semifinals at Jeffco Stadium on Saturday, November 30, 2024. (Photo by Brent W. New/BoCoPreps.com)
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